Ever since the development of enclosed storage facilities for the safe keeping of personal property and valuables, the means of preventing unauthorized entry has been of paramount importance. One difficulty with conventional locked doors is that they normally apply resistance to unauthorized entry at a single point, such as the dead bolt entry into the door frame in a conventional key operated lock. Regardless of the single point of resistance issue, whether or not a storage facility lock has been tampered with is not always readily discernible from the exterior without a close up inspection or the physical effort to open the door to it. There has, therefore, been a need for an externally operable device which readily indicates without close inspection whether or not the enclosure or storage facility is sealed against unauthorized entry. Moreover, there is an inherent advantage to a self enclosed security device which accomplishes the foregoing advantages without unsightly components that are subject to tampering, cumbersome to remove and store during authorized access, subject to being lost necessitating storage when the security device is not activated, and the like. It is even a further advantage to have a security device which provides linear, rather than point or multiple point, resistance to unauthorized entry particularly in the case of a hinged door which normally includes a dead bolt single point of resistance in combination with two or more hinges at discreet points, either of which provides substantially more vulnerability to unauthorized entry than does the present invention.
Since a principal use of the present invention is directed to self storage facilities, the present invention can be employed either by the renter of storage space, or by the landlord thereof or both. The inventive apparatus would provide security for stored goods in the first instance, and readily demonstrate to security guards that the apparatus was locked, without close inspection. However, if the renter failed to pay rent in a timely manner, the landlord could change the lock on the inventive apparatus without entering or changing the conventional door lock. The renter would thereafter have to pay back rent to enter the storage facility even though satisfied that there had been no entry by the landlord who would not need a key to the renter's lock.
Various inventive efforts have been directed to devices preventing the opening of doors by unauthorized persons. A preexamination search has revealed various patented devices directed to door security. Most of these concern internally operable apparatus such as would be applicable to the door to a dwelling operable by an occupant thereof.
The first of these references is Norden, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,445, concerning a door locking mechanism. This device utilizes an expandable bar attached to the interior of a door and includes rotating ends of the bar, that are substantially rectangular. Each of these ends are held in a secure position by padlocks, the device itself is attached to the door by bolts, and each of the rotating ends disposes a handle for rotation thereof. Since the device disclosed and claimed by Norden, Jr., is inside, it cannot be seen and is not operable externally. Unlocking is accomplished by padlocks, a cumbersome procedure at best. Since the device must be interiorly operated, it represents a substantial departure from the means and structure of the present invention where external operability and visibility are paramount. The device does not present particularly easy installation, provides no drip cap or informational feature, or decorative aspect and generally fails to meet the objectives of the present invention as set forth hereinafter.
A further such reference is Lack, U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,014, which uses a bar pivoted on a hinge pin with a hook at the other end to cooperate lockingly with a hoop type hasp pivotally attached to the door frame opposing the door frame opposite the hinges. This device also is an inside device which cannot be seen externally to determine whether or not access is authorized or the device has been tampered with, the device must be interiorly operated, the invention represents no decorative or informational aspect or includes any structure that can be utilized as a drip cap, and also therefore fails to meet the objectives of the present invention as hereinafter set forth.
A further interesting reference disclosed by the search is Knierim, U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,879. This reference discloses a device intended to permit limited opening of a door in a manner similar to that provided by a security chain. That is, the invention is intended to permit the occupant of a dwelling to open a door a limited amount such as to determine whether or not to permit the potential entrant access. This is accomplished with an apparatus recessed into the floor adjoining the door and requires the user to bend down to open a locking device and move a slide member which in turn operates a linkage which buckles a hinge member into the path of the door. It is intended for use inside of a dwelling for an inside opening door, and when so used, it is an inside device that cannot be externally operated, nor is it visible externally to determine whether it has been tampered with or whether access is authorized. Although not so intended, the device could be used externally with an outside opening door, and if so, the device would still fail to meet the objectives of the present invention, having no drip cap or decorative or informational feature. Furthermore, installation would not be easy, and if used externally, the device would probably be relatively easy to remove from the floor. In the latter event, the device would not demonstrate whether access was permitted without relatively close inspection. Thus, even if used externally, the structure of this linkage type device fails to meet the objectives of the present invention.
One more reference is Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,965, which discloses a door plate that cooperates with a door knob. The door plate includes a lock member extending perpendicularly from the plate and having a serrated edge, which cooperates lockingly with a rotable pin attached indirectly to the door frame. That is, the serrated arm engages the pin to achieve the locking function. However, again the disclosed apparatus is an inside device which cannot be seen to determine whether access is authorized, it must be internally operated, it lacks the drip cap, informational, and decorative aspect functions, and does not appear very simple to install. The means for attachment to the door knob, for example, is vague.
A final internally operable device is that disclosed and claimed by Kemp, U.S. Pat. No. 1,701,076, which teaches a lever operated sliding and pivoting mechanism that activates a plurality of dead bolt type devices that cooperate respectively with a frame mounted strike plate, and a plurality of floor recesses. The disclosed apparatus is obviously expensive to manufacture, difficult to install, and still lacks an external visibility or operability, the absence of a drip cap, and the absence of any informational or decorative feature.
The only reference disclosed by Applicant's pre-examination search expressly teaching external visibility and operability was a security bar as disclosed and claimed by Richards, Sr., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,389. This device is principally disclosed as a key operated locking mechanism for locking filing cabinets, chests, and the like, but which also could be applied to outwardly swinging hinged doors. Particular reference to FIG. 3 is indicated, and although said figure discloses a double door cabinet, it is clear that the device is applicable to externally operable, externally swinging single doors. This disclosure teaches attachment to the frame using only two pins, making tamper resistance questionable at best. More importantly, the disclosure indicates that the device becomes a loose piece when access is authorized, requiring storage of the same and subjecting the apparatus to theft or misplacement. Unsightlyness is inherent, the device is cumbersome to operate, it provides no decorative aspect, and certainly provides no drip cap or informational functions, thereby failing most of the objective of the present invention even though it does include external visibility and operability.
In summary, none of the references disclosed by the preexamination search meets the objects and advantages hereinafter set forth of the present invention, and certainly none of them disclosed any physical structure or apparatus that anticipate or suggest the structure utilized to accomplish the objectives of the present invention, as will be seen hereinafter.